Chapters 1. Not pretty
"Thank you so much again for coming with me, girls."
"No sweat, Princess." Rainbow Dash did not turn around as she spoke. Instead, she kept her keen eyes intently scanning the expanse of wilderness ahead of the three youthful pony mares. "Any of these Everfree Forest monsters wants to start something with my friends, I've got a nice big can of whup-rump ready to open."
"Hopefully it won't come to that," Princess Twilight Sparkle replied. "Remember, Fluttershy here is our first line of defence. Only if she can't talk it down or face it down do we resort to more ... direct methods."
Rainbow Dash grumbled in disappointment. "I guess."
"There's certainly no shortage of dangerous creatures in this forest." Fluttershy, a pale yellow pegasus with a flowing, candy-pink mane and tail, was also continuously checking her surroundings. Unlike Rainbow Dash she was not flying but walked beside Twilight. "Communicating with them will be a big responsibility but I'll certainly do my——"
A sharp shushing sound from Rainbow Dash halted Fluttershy's gentle, serene commentary. "We've got company," rasped the blue-coated pegasus, pointing to the sky directly above the trio.
Fluttershy and Twilight squinted upwards and could just make out a tiny, dark speck far overhead. The shape did not stay small for long, though. It quickly changed course and drew nearer, assuming the distinct form of a large, deep purple bird of prey, diving directly towards the three ponies.
"Take cover," cried Fluttershy.
"Too late." Rainbow Dash placed herself in mid-air between the raptor and her two friends and aggressively brandished her forehooves. Twilight Sparkle stood by and pointed her single, spiralled horn towards the attacker. Both ponies grew somewhat more nervous when they registered the monstrous size of the onrushing roc, who was easily big enough to encircle a pony in each of her sickle-talonned feet.
Fluttershy drew directly in front of a surprised Rainbow Dash and hovered with her eyes set directly on the roc. Steadily, she shook her head.
The roc pulled out of her swoop, cruised overhead in a slow circle for a few seconds, then beat her enormous wings and wheeled away. Fluttershy watched the raptor's departure, then continued on her way into the forest, her friends briefly hurrying to catch her up.
Rainbow Dash turned in astonishment to Fluttershy. "That ... was ... amazing!"
"I know," enthused Fluttershy. "The roc certainly is a majestic sight."
"No, I meant——"
A harsh, piercing shriek interrupted Rainbow, whose momentary distraction had prevented her from noticing the hawk-sized figure perched in a nearby tree. She resembled a bird but covered in reptilian scales instead of feathers, and the interior of her beak was lined with barbed, backward-curving teeth. The creature flared her fiery red-and-orange wings and screeched aggressively at the ponies.
Fluttershy spoke soothingly to the creature. "Easy, we're just passing through here." She gestured to her two friends to keep moving.
The winged reptile gave a long, rattling, menacing hiss and kept her eyes trained on the passing ponies, but stayed perched on her branch.
"Nesting season," Fluttershy explained to her friends.
"Wow, Fluttershy, soon there won't be a creature in the whole Everfree Forest that you can't pacify."
"You're too kind, Twilight. I know I'm not as scared of this place as I used to be. I just do what I can to——" Fluttershy's delicate reply gave way to a barrage of frantic squeals and yelps. "Help! Please! Get it away from me!" The pale yellow pegasus hopped this way and that, as if trapped on a patch of scorching hot rock.
Neither Twilight Sparkle nor Rainbow Dash could see Fluttershy's tormentor against the varied colours of the forest but they were aware of a mild buzzing sound, like the beating wings of an insect.
"What is it, a hornet?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"A bot-fly?" asked Twilight.
"A ... uh-oh." Rainbow prodded Twilight's shoulder with her forehoof and pointed the winged unicorn in the direction of a rotund, red-furred flying insect with huge, multi-faceted eyes of iridescent azure. The creature meandered through the air, making a succession of endearing, high-pitched chirping sounds.
Fluttershy had ceased her panicked leaping and was now cowering on the forest floor in a position of abject supplication, trying to avert her eyes from the approaching arthropod. "No. No! If-if I take you with me you'll multiply into a huge, uncontrollable swarm. And then you'll eat up all the yummy, delicious food in Ponyville. Yes you will, you naughty little rascal, you."
The terror had gradually left Fluttershy's voice, replaced with dreamy adoration. She was now gazing with a wide-eyed, glassy smile at the charming figure of the parasprite, who smiled back and continued to weave its way towards its new host, chittering all the while.
Yet the primrose pegasus was suddenly gone, an unseen force yanking her squealing off to her left. Rainbow Dash slammed onto the ground in her place. She too was wearing a smile, yet hers was anything but inviting.
Balancing on one rear hoof, the sky blue-coated pegasus begain pirouetting, increasing her rotation until a funnel of cloud formed around her. Sensing the danger, the parasprite turned to flee. Straining for all it was worth, unable to gain any forward momentum, the insect chirped in a plaintive beseechment and reached its six spindly black legs out to Fluttershy, who stared regretfully at the creature for a second before burying her face in Twilight's side.
Unable to resist the power of the vortex any longer, the parasprite careened into the miniature tornado, which ascended above the forest canopy. With a lusty battle cry, Rainbow Dash hurled the parasprite out over the canopy. As she slowed her rotation to a stop, she could just make out the insect regurgitating a misshapen blob that swiftly formed into another parasprite, the insect pair too far away to relocate the three ponies.
Her task accomplished, Rainbow descended to find Twilight protectively extending her right wing over the shaken and shaking Fluttershy.
"Oh, that was too close. If you two hadn't been here I might have——"
Twilight silenced Fluttershy with a series of gentle shushing noises. "It's over now."
"Yep, all taken care of," added a triumphant Rainbow Dash.
In an instant, Fluttershy shot into the air and eyeballed Rainbow Dash with fearful concern. "You didn't hurt it did you?" Suddenly aware of the instincts taking hold of her, she looked in embarrassment down at Twilight, whom she had inadvertently knocked into a nearby clump of bushes, then back at Rainbow Dash. "I mean, um, thank you."
* * *
The remainder of the ponies' journey passed without incident. However, the sky had become noticeably more overcast as they neared their destination, and the wind had strengthened to the point where Rainbow Dash was forced to stop flying and join her two friends on hoof.
Twilight raised her voice slightly to make herself heard above the breeze. "I was hoping we could stay at Zecora's for a while but at this rate, we might just have to take the herbs and leave."
"Oh dear, I hope Zecora won't be upset. I'd hate for her to think we were being anti-social," fretted Fluttershy.
Rainbow Dash merely scowled and gnashed in powerless rage against the elements. How she longed to soar up, staunch the wind and kick those clouds into oblivion, just as she reguarly did back home in Ponyville. Yet the weather in the Everfree Forest did not work the same way as it did in the realm of Equestria. The wind did not arise from the wings or lungs of any living creature; it seemed to come out of nowhere. And the clouds were no ordinary clouds, as Rainbow had learned the first and last time she dared approach one. It looked so innocuous, all cute and white and fluffy like a soft, plush pillow. Yet it hovered almost a mile above the ground, the distance hiding its volume. It was big enough to engulf hundreds of ponies, provided they could tolerate the turbulent rising and falling draughts wracking its interior. Rainbow returned to earth somewhat older and wiser that day, vowing never to speak of her experience.
Eventually, the threesome reached the Zecora's hut, a simple grass structure located in a small forest clearing. Leading the way, Twilight knocked on the front door. After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal an adult zebra mare, with golden rings in her ears, a stack of larger golden rings encasing her neck and a stylised spiral pattern marking both sides of her hindquarters. A large wicker basket stood beside her gold-braceletted right foreleg. Covering the contents of the basket was a hoof-crafted doily ringed with blue weighted beads.
"Hi Zecora. Were you able to find the herbs I asked for?"
Zecora clasped her teeth around the handle of the basket and lifted it. Sensing the pull of Twilight's magic telekinesis on the basket, the zebra released her hold so that the winged unicorn could draw the basket nearer to herself.
"These herbs should suit you very well
For conjuring your latest spell."
Zecora's habitual rhyming meter motivated her to choose her words carefully, helping her become more proficient in the ponies' language.
Twilight made a slight adjustment to her spell, lifting one side of the doily while keeping the basket suspended in mid-air. She peered at the contents, and an excited smile spread across her muzzle. "These look like just what I need. Thank you so much, Zecora."
Zecora stretched her neck past her doorway and craned around at the ominously dark clouds.
"I would invite you in to stay.
But you'd best hurry home when skies are this grey."
"In that case we'll be on our way."
There was an awkward pause as the four equines noticed that Twilight had unconsciously imitated Zecora's rhyming meter. All four broke into a round of chuckling, before the three ponies turned to leave.
"See ya, Zecora," called Rainbow Dash.
"Take care," lilted Fluttershy.
"Have a nice day." Twilight suddenly yelped in amused frustration as she realised she had inadvertently created another rhyme.
Rainbow Dash laughed. "What the hey?"
Twilight turned with tight lips to Rainbow. "Don't you start."
"Whatever you say," Rainbow replied before erupting into another round of cackling.
"Rainbow, enough."
Rainbow snickered for a few seconds before a single word burst forth amid yet more saucy laughter: "Okay".
"Stop! Fluttershy, make her stohohhhp ."
"I'm stopping, I'm stopping," Rainbow Dash replied with exaggerated petulance.
"Yay."
Fluttershy's quiet, dainty cheer brought renewed laughter from Rainbow Dash, a growl of frustration from Twilight Sparkle and a flash of lightning accompanied by a deafening peal of thunder. The three ponies screamed in primal terror. They were still some distance from the edge of the forest, and the path home was lined with towering trees that made highly attractive targets for any further lightning bolts. The ponies turned tail and galloped back towards Zecora's hut, not quite in time to avoid the onset of a torrential downpour.
Rainbow Dash was fastest. Before she could knock, Zecora flung her front door open, having heard the thunderclap and the ensuing commotion.
"Out of the storm,
over there where it's warm."
She pointed her forehoof towards the centre of her simply furnished hut. There crackled a small fire, with narrow columns of smoke steadily rising to a chimney in the ceiling. The three bedraggled ponies tumbled into the hut and gathered shivering around the fire, their wings spread to help them dry out.
"Oh dear, I hope you're not upset, Zecora. I'd hate for you to think we're imposing on you," fretted Fluttershy.
"There is no need for you to explain.
I could hardly leave you out in that rain.
Now make yourselves at home and stop your stewing.
The storm was not the only thing brewing."
Twilight became aware of a familiar fragrant aroma within the hut. She sniffed the air a couple of times before a long, deep inhalation followed by a hum of pleasure. "My favourite."
Zecora crossed the room carrying the handle of a large pot in her teeth. Steam arose from a nozzle at one end of the pot. Into four small clay vessels she carefully poured serves of a tea made from a wild leaf endemic to her distant home. She had managed to cultivate the plant in the Everfree Forest, which shared a similar climate, and had years ago introduced the rare taste to Twilight Sparkle, who became an instant fan. The zebra rested a vessel in front of each of her guests, accompanied by a baked grass cake studded with small, tart berries. The friends gratefully accepted their refreshments, and the foursome chatted amiably while the storm continued to rage outside.
Rainbow Dash fought to conceal her restlessness. She was fond of her three companions but tea parties weren't exactly her, well, cup of tea. Neither was being cooped up indoors for hours, especially when she had no idea when she could emerge. It wasn't like this in Ponyville. Rainfalls had precise start and finish times: as her town's chief weather steward, she made sure of it. She could prepare mentally and physically, with board games and Daring Do books and the like, and sit out the storm with patience and calm until its scheduled completion. Here, where the elements gathered and scattered at random, she just had to wait, and wait.
Finally, she stole one glimpse too many at the bucketing rain through the window.
"I hope we're not boring you, Rainbow Dash," Twilight asked pointedly.
Rainbow looked back sheepishly before pressing her forehoof into her wincing face. "Sorry guys, I just hate not knowing when the rain's gonna stop. How do you stand this crazy weather, Zecora?"
"Rainbow!"
A gesture from Zecora stilled Twilight's reproof.
"Your question isn't entirely unfair.
The only answer is to prepare.
Scan the sky, smell the air,
Ensure I have food and fuel to spare.
And accept that some things are beyond my control.
I can't calm a storm but I can calm my soul."
Rainbow let out a dubious yet accepting grunt.
Moments later, almost as if Zecora had indeed calmed the storm, the rainfall began to ease noticeably. By this time, dusk had fallen, and the chorus of animal noises outside was gradually transforming. One cry in particular caught Fluttershy's attention: a low, tremulous, drawn-out ululation.
"That sound. I've been hearing that in the distance every evening for a few weeks now, when I've been putting my critters to bed. What is it?"
The zebra did not answer.
"Zecora?" prompted Fluttershy.
"It is a squonk that you can hear.
She has a burrow fairly near."
"A squonk? Really? I thought they were just legend." Twilight's face lit up at the prospect of expanding her knowledge and experience of the mysterious Everfree environment.
"Such a haunting cry," Fluttershy murmured. "Almost as if she really were crying."
"Well she is really crying."
The words died on Twilight's lips as she guiltily realised how misplaced her enthusiasm was. Fluttershy had a unique connection with non-pony animal life, an ability to communicate and empathise. It was this gift that led her to her destiny as the steward of the local fauna. The thought of a suffering creature, even from an untamed wilderness like the Everfree forest, would be all but intolerable to her.
Sure enough, Fluttershy's jaw slackened with disbelief at Twilight's statement. She turned for confirmation to Zecora, who closed her eyes and nodded pensively.
"She spends her days buried out of sight,
then emerges to weep all through the night."
"Y-you mean she's spent every night for the past few weeks ... crying?" Fluttershy began panting heavily through her gaping mouth. "I have to find out what's wrong. I have to help her." She no longer cared about the rain, the darkness, the dangerous forest inhabitants. All that mattered to her was giving whatever comfort she could to the crying creature. She galloped towards the door, only to rear to a halt at Zecora's deep, commanding voice.
"Stop, Fluttershy! Leave her be.
You'll only compound her misery.
For although she laments her loneliness
Being seen causes her even more distress."
"But why?" pleaded the pale yellow pegasus.
"The reason for her cries so piteous:
Of all creatures, the squonk is the most hideous."
"Oh." A look of sad understanding crossed Fluttershy's visage, deepening as the significance of Zecora's words sank in. "Oh no." She shook her head, one forehoof over her mouth. "Oh goodness."
"Oh come on," Rainbow Dash exploded. "That's why she's been hiding away and blubbering all this time? Her looks? How bad can they be?"
"Squat of stature, sparse of hair,
Snout of tapir, vacant stare.
Her hide hangs in deep folds, wrinkled and slack,
And is covered in warts from front to back."
Fluttershy grew even more upset as she contemplated the reactions such an animal must have endured throughout her life. Twilight sat silently, the descriptions and artists' impressions of the squonk from her books not preparing her for the reality of this creature's unfortunate existence.
Rainbow Dash, however, remained unconvinced. "So she won't be sashaying around in one of Rarity's outfits anytime soon. Big deal." She thrust out her lean, muscular chest and pointed proudly towards her heart. "It's what's in here that counts."
"It's easy for you to make such a claim
With your fine blue coat and your pretty mane."
"Stop iiit." Rainbow smiled unwillingly through her clenched teeth as a pink film rose to her cheeks, and nervously poked at her rainbow-striped mane. "I am not pretty. Spectacular, sure, but not pretty."
"Zecora's right," said Twilight before turning to address the zebra. "And you'd know. After all, look at how fearful and suspicious Ponyville's ponies were of you at first. And you just have stripes. No comparison between your appearance and a squonk."
Fluttershy's eyes lit up. "Wait, that's it. Zecora, you understand what it's like to be a pariah. Maybe you could talk to her."
Zecora flinched, suppressing a shudder.
"Believe me, ponies, I have tried.
The more I've reached out, the more she has cried."
Like Fluttershy, Zecora's first instinct had been to seek out the squonk and alleviate her misery. Bearing delicacies and handicrafts from her native land, she carefully approached only for the creature to keep retreating and crying ever more insistently. Zecora did not wish to push the issue. Voicing quiet concern, she repeated her attempts to break the ice, gradually drawing nearer until one evening she went too far and caught full sight of the creature in the moonlight.
The image of the pot-bellied, streaming-eyed, gaping-mouthed monster lying on her side, flaccid folds of skin slapping about, kicking the air in a clumsy effort to right herself having stumbled in fright, would be indelibly branded in Zecora's mind from that moment. Incomparably more horrifying, however, was the noise. The deafening, desperate moan-screech, veering from one register to another. The scream of a prisoner under ruthless torture, unable to think of anything else.
Zecora tried to placate the poor creature yet she could barely hear her own voice above the din. As loud cries of distress tended to be music to the ears of the Everfree's numerous nocturnal predators, the zebra mare had little choice but to cut her losses and hasten back to her hut. There, with the squonk's nightmarish bellows assaulting her mind like an endlessly repeated accusation, she brooded with remorse and humiliation until falling into a fitful slumber. From that night on, she reluctantly resolved to give the squonk a wide berth.
The recollection left Zecora visibly upset. Seeing the zebra's emotional state, the ponies decided to leave well enough alone, and the interior of the hut fell into a gloomy silence. The only sounds were the steady hiss of the rain and the occasional cries of the Everfree's wild denizens, the lugubrious lamentations of the squonk dominating.
Eventually, Fluttershy broke the lull. "It's not fair," she murmured sullenly, staring at the floor. "No, it's worse than not fair. It doesn't even make sense. Predation and parasitism are bad enough but this? Why should squonks be so ugly? What purpose does it serve? A life of nothing but misery and loneliness. Why would a creature like that exist? How did it come into being in the first place?"
"I don't know," Twilight replied.
"You don't know?" Fluttershy's voice rose as she turned to face the alicorn. "But Twilight, you're the most knowledgeable pony I've met. All those books you've read. Can't they give you any insight?"
Twilight felt as if her whole approach to life was under attack. She carefully suppressed her defensive instinct. "That's just it, Fluttershy. I can read ten different books and get eleven different answers. The seeming dark side of nature outside Equestria isn't a black-and-white area. I kind of struggle with it myself."
Twilight's choice of words prompted Fluttershy to glance involuntarily at the downcast zebra. The timid pegasus thought carefully about her words before speaking. "Zecora, please, I'm not trying to be awful. I just want to understand. There's so much cruelty and suffering in your world. How do you cope?"
Zecora turned to Fluttershy and gave a small nod to show she did not resent the question.
"I've lived this way for many years,
And I have shed my share of tears.
Through times of sorrow, fear and pain,
Scorching fire and driving rain.
Yet if I focused only on this
There is so much more that I would miss.
The dappled sunshine on the forest floor,
The fragrant plants I so adore.
Lyrebird, phoenix, cock of the rock,
Tarsier, behemoth, proud peacock.
What's more, many sources of turmoil and strife
Are also essential parts of life.
The forest would soon wither away
Without wet days such as today.
The fire that sets the trees alight
Can warm me through the coldest night.
Lightning strikes, with pow'r intense
Give the soil its nutrients.
Predators have brought an end
To the lives of more than one friend.
My losses I've grieved but I don't cry 'unfair':
Too many plant eaters, the forest can't bear.
So while it cannot be denied
My habitat has its ugly side
Beauty and value exist here too.
And the same holds for me and for each of you.
When bad times come, they don't leave me vexed.
I never ask why, just 'what do I do next?'"
"And you think there might be beauty and value in the squonk's existence as well?" asked Fluttershy.
"Of this I have little doubt.
Alas, I dare not try to find out."
* * *
Soon, the lightning had stopped and the rain had eased enough for the ponies to brave the journey back to Ponyville. They bade their farewells to Zecora and set off, flying all the way to avoid slogging through the mud bog that the forest floor had become. Rainbow Dash was glad to be back in her element. Fluttershy, though, had never felt comfortable flying significant distances. As for Twilight Sparkle, she had acquired her wings a little over a year earlier, as part of her ascendancy to her title of princess. Her flight was improving but there was still much to learn, much to concentrate on; irregular dips in altitude continued to punctuate her progress. It didn't help that she also had to focus on two simultaneous spells: one to light the way home and one to generate the domed overhead forcefield keeping the rain off. Thankfully, Rainbow Dash had offered to carry the basket back home, leaving Twilight with one less spell to maintain.
The matter of the squonk had left the three ponies feeling fairly sombre. None made a sound until Fluttershy stifled a cry of fear. Twilight's beam revealed another parasprite, weaving through the fine misty rain. However, the insect paid no attention to the ponies, apparently far more interested in a curtain of glittering droplets just ahead. It reached the gleaming orbs only to discover too late that they were composed not of rainwater but of glue, studding invisibly thin strands of adhesive silk.
The dangling parasprite accelerated its wingbeats and trilled in alarm but was unable to dislodge itself from the silk. Its chirps increased in volume and pitch as it sensed the silken strand trapping it drawing jerkily up towards the overhanging foliage.
As the ponies passed, Fluttershy kept her eyes on the unpleasant scene for a short while before recoiling away in anguish. She winced even harder seconds later, when the frantic cheeping of the parasprite came to an abrupt halt.
Twilight tried to think of something reassuring to say. "I know it's not pretty, Fluttershy, but if the parasprites' numbers weren't kept in check, they'd strip this whole forest bare."
"That's what makes it so upsetting. This is the way things are and there's nothing anypony can do about it." Fluttershy glanced back at the dark, forbidding wilderness behind them, the world of carnage and unpredictability, and felt a sense of bitterness rising within her, a sense that maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to let the parasprites have at the whole thing. Raze it to the ground. Good riddance.
It was irrational, she knew, brought on by her raw emotions, but it lingered, and her continued presence in the forest was not helping.
"Come on, girls. The sooner we're out of this awful place, the better."
Trembling, wide-eyed, enveloped in darkness, Princess Twilight Sparkle could not ignore the summons any longer.
She had to disregard all that her senses and rational intellect were telling her.
It was time for action.
With the tiniest squeak of glee the alicorn, or winged unicorn, threw off her bedclothes, leapt to the floor and scampered over her bedroom threshold and down the passageway. On the way, she slowed to a creep and peeked through the open door of Spike's bedroom.
The purple, scaly form was curled up in his own bed, his green rounded spinal ridges following a spiral contour to the tip of his tail. His forelegs tenderly embraced a white plush unicorn toy with purple mane and tail. Narrow tendrils of smoke drifted from his quietly snoring nostrils through the open window. His face bore the contented smile of one without a care in the world.
Twilight had to smile, too. She decided to let him sleep a little longer. It was still the dead of the night, after all. She would most likely need his assistance throughout the day; he would serve her more effectively if he was fully rested.
Flight was the young alicorn's quietest means of locomotion. She spread her wings, gently kicked herself from the floor and fluttered along the curving hallway before settling in front of a door. Kinetic energy flowed from her horn to the door, opening it. From a ledge beside the the doorway in the darkened room, an oil lantern glided towards the centre of the room and settled onto a flat surface. With an adjustment of Twilight's magic, the lantern ignited to reveal the interior of Twilight's laboratory.
The walls of the large room were lined with chests of drawers and shelves packed with books and scrolls all sizes, thicknesses and vintages. Other shelves contained various scientific apparatus: conical flasks, beakers, retort stands, burners, pipettes, safety goggles. Dominating the centre of the room was a long, wide, wooden bench coated in fire-retardant material. Although it was relatively new it was already showing signs of wear: indentations, stains from inks and other fluids, and the occasional scorch mark. Since making Friendhip Castle her home, this was where Twilight practised her manifold experiments in science and magic—two related yet distinct disciplines in the realm of Equestria, although Twilight's personal favourite was undoubtedly magic, even before she discovered the near-unprecedented scale and diversity of the innate magical energy within her.
Twilight's horn generated another wave of kinetic energy. A drawer opened from which emerged an ink pot, a quill pen and a ream of loose paper leaves, all settling neatly on the bench to Twilight's left. She adjusted her magic to pluck three stout hardcover books from their respective shelves and guide them onto the bench in front of her. To her right, she levitated the basket of herbs that Zecora had provided her the previous day.
Twilight made it a point to keep her lab meticulously organised, ensuring everything was exactly in its expected place. This kept the time spent preparing for her work to the minimum number of seconds. Still, they were seconds nevertheless, precious seconds she could have spent actually developing the lovely, lovely spell that had silently beckoned her from her bed. She stole a quick, regretful glance at the empty perch jutting out from the wall on her right. She could have used Owlowiscious' help right now. Yet she had returned home considerably later than she had expected the previous evening, too tired and overwrought to contemplate any nocturnal work, so she had decided to turn in and leave the bird to his own devices. He would be out prowling the nighttime environs for small mammals—or possibly female owls, who knew? In any case, Twilight had to make do without either of her assistants for the time being.
The alicorn was just getting into her mental flow when a round of distantly echoing knocking jarred her from her focus. Stifling a yelp of alarm, she soon heard another succession of urgent knocks. With a burst of energy, she disappeared from her place at the bench, reappearing a second later outside the laboratory door. Spreading her wings, she kited through the passageways of Friendship Castle and down the main hallway, settling at the front door. As she cast her magic at the door to open it, she began muttering to herself. "Who could that be at this time of ...
The bright Equestrian sun was elevated just above a row of humble yet attractive thatch-roofed buildings, baking the unpaved streets and dew-blanketed grass in its encouraging glow. Trees stood tall, readying themselves to feed on the energy that their green leaves extracted from the sun. A small number of early-rising ponies strolled through the streets or prepared their places of businesses for trade.
It was a fittingly idyllic backdrop to the pink, pouffy-maned young pony who stood beaming at the entrance of Friendship Castle. A member of the earth pony race, who bore neither horn nor wings, her eyes were wide, bright and engaging and her smile even more so.
"Morning Twilight," replied the pink mare, her voice characteristically high and cheery. "How did you sleep?"
Okay, thought Twilight, that's a slightly unusual way to greet somepony. Still, by Pinkie Pie's standards, 'slightly unusual' is downright orthodox. "Like a baby. Why?"
Pinkie Pie's smile left her face in an instant. In its place was an intent stare, her right eye pulsing rapidly. "What sort of baby? Spirited? Touchy? Grumpy? Did you sleep through the night or wake up every couple of hours?"
"Uhh..." Already disconcerted at the realisation of how thoroughly she had lost track of time, and her failure to notice dawn had broken, Twilight found Pinkie's rapid barrage of questions and accusatory, twitching glare even more unsettling. She reeled back a couple of steps, revealing to Pinkie a dim glow from deep within the castle.
Pinkie peered at the light and gasped. "That light's coming from your lab. Did you pull an all-nighter, Twilight? Tinkering with ancient enchantments in an attempt to while away the restless, anxious hours? Or desperately practising for an upcoming test you think you're adequately prepared for but aren't completely sure?"
"What? No."
"You can tell me, Twilight. I'm not here to judge you." Pinkie held Twilight with a gaze that she intended to convey friendly concern, an impression somewhat undermined by the throbbing of her eyelid.
"I said no, Pinkie Pie." Twilight had regained most of her composure. "I was wide awake early because I'm excited about a new spell I'm learning, so I thought I might as well make a start."
"And you had no trouble sleeping until then?"
"None at all."
"What about Spike? How did he sleep?"
"I was sleeping just fine." The baby dragon's grumbled reply echoed down the long hallway as he wiped the rheum from his eyes and trudged moodily towards the two ponies.
Twilight coughed out an embarrassed chuckle. "Sorry about that, Spike. Although, in fairness, it is time you were getting up."
"Swell." Spike let out a copious yawn that almost sounded like a roar, his stubby forefoot not quite big enough to conceal his toothy gape. "What were you two jabbering about anyway?"
Twilight turned back to the visitor. "Yes, Pinkie, why are you so keen to know how we slept?"
"Uh, hello-o? Haven't you noticed my eye twitching yet? See, there it goes again. A classic quintuple upper right eyelid outward throb. And you know what a quintuple upper right eyelid outward throb means, don't you?"
"Actually, I find it rather hard to keep mental track of your different tics. Thankfully, I haven't lost interest in trying to understand the Pinkie Sense. Oh, no, I find it truly fascinating. And to that end, I've created," Twilight paused, unable to contain her mounting excitement, "a flowchart! Now I can follow all your tics by movement, body part and quantity, as well as the content and order of your 'comboes'. So if Spike would be good enough to fetch the chart from my study, we can follow the flow and determine what your twitching means." She turned to her assistant with a squeal of joyous anticipation and jerked her head twice towards the general direction of her study.
Spike responded with a measured blink and a voice as dry as fire. "Or, you could just ask Pinkie what it means since she's, you know, standing right here."
Twilight's face fell. "Urgh, do you have to take the fun out of everything? All right, Pinkie, what does a quintuple upper right eyelid outward throb mean?"
Pinkie addressed the pair with great solemnity. "It means that one of my friends here in Ponyville didn't get enough sleep last night due to being highly upset about something. Therefore it is my duty to bring them joy, relieve their trauma and ensure that their nights hereafter are filled with unbroken slumber and the sweetest of dreams."
"That's an admirable goal, Pinkie, but you're not seriously going to—wait a minute. Last night? I thought your Pinkie Sense only told you about immediate future events."
"I know, right? It would be much more beneficial to get this sense before they go to bed but what else can I do?"
Twilight eyed the pink pony dubiously.
"What? I don't control the Pinkie Sense, I just experience it."
The alicorn was still uncertain but decided to let it go. She knew from painful experience that disregarding Pinkie Pie's innate sense was an invitation to disaster. "Okay, but as I was saying, you're not really going to go around asking every pony in Ponyville whether we got a good night's sleep, are you?"
"Of course not, silly. Remember it happened to one of my friends. So that should narrow it down to——"
Twilight and Spike simultaneously completed her sentence. "Every pony in Ponyville."
Pinkie Pie paused for a few seconds to let this realisation sink in. "You guys busy today?"
All outward signs of fatigue deserted Spike as he bounded to Pinkie's side. "Where do we start?"
"Where do I start?" Twilight cut in. "I am busy today as it happens, and so are you, young dragon. So before you go cantering off looking for a needle in a haystack——"
"Haystack? Great idea, Twilight, we should definitely take them out for breakfast. Except we need to make it a special treat. Pancakes, waffles, crepes, oat smoothies ..."
Determined not to let the earth pony sidetrack her, Twilight raised her voice above Pinkie's babbling. "I think I have an idea as to who might have been sleepless in Ponyville last night."
"Rarity?" Spike grinned, ever hopeful of an excuse to pay a call on the exquisitely beautiful unicorn.
No wonder you're so eager to help, Twilight thought wryly. Before the alicorn could dash his expectations, though, Pinkie exclaimed, "Of course, that must be it. Nopony treasures their beauty sleep more than Rarity. And strictly off the record, she does have just the teeniest-weeniest, ittiest-bittiest tendency to overreact to emotional distress."
"But——" Twilight tried in vain to protest.
"So what are we waiting for? Let's go." Spike vaulted onto Pinkie's back and seized two tresses of her curly mane like reins. Pinkie reared up with a whinny and shot away from the castle, leaving only an evanescent pink, purple and green mist behind.
With a guttural growl of exasperation, Twilight galloped off after the pair.
* * *
"Did-did I sleep well? That is the 'emergency' for which you interrupted my morning beauty regimen?"
Pinkie Pie's quest to increase Rarity's level of happiness was off to a shaky start. The unicorn's pure white coat was only half-brushed, her normally elegant purple mane was flaccid, she had no blush and the eyelashes on her left eye were slightly crooked. It was in this state that she had hastened downstairs from her bathroom, unceremoniously hauled Pinkie Pie and Spike inside the Carousel Boutique—hoping nopony outside saw her—and was now grilling them on the reasons for their untimely intrusion. If anything, her right eye was twitching even more alarmingly than Pinkie's.
Rarity's seething admonition was interrupted by a paff of energy from outside the front door of the Carousel Boutique, her home and place of business. It was the unmistakable signal of the teleportational arrival of Twilight Sparkle, confirmed by the shouted voice that followed the knocking on the door. "Pinkie, Spike, I know you're in there."
"Aaand Twilight's here too. Splendid." Rarity magically opened the front door, yanked Twilight inside with her forehoof and slammed the door shut, the bell above the doorway tinkling wildly. "I always dreamed of having an audience with royalty while looking like I've just escaped from Tartarus."
Spike gazed adoringly up at the unicorn, either not noticing or not caring about the imperfections in her appearance. "I think you look stunning."
"I'll stun you in a moment, silver tongue."
Twilight grimaced. "I am so sorry about this, Rarity. I'll explain in a minute." She rounded sternly on Pinkie and Spike. "As for you two, I never said anything about Rarity. I was referring to Fluttershy."
Pinkie Pie's eyes widened to dinner plates while her pupils shrank to mustard seeds. "Fluttershy? Sweet, delicate, innocent, vulnerable, sensitive Fluttershy?!" Her right eyelid quivered alarmingly before she rocketed several feet above the floor and screamed "Why didn't you say so?" She turned and galloped in mid-air for a few seconds, clearly intending to burst through the boutique door and apparently forgetting that said door normally opened inwards.
Thankfully, Rarity telekinetically opened the door in time for the pink pony to zip through the doorway and out of sight. The unicorn closed the door and turned with a weary, knowing smile to the speechless Twilight. "Yes, why didn't you?" she teased.
Twilight and Spike gave Rarity some time to finish grooming herself before the three set off towards Fluttershy's cottage. They were in no hurry. Fluttershy's animal care duties typically required her to rise early, and given the mood she had been in last night, there were worse starts to the morning than having Pinkie Pie show up to bring cheer, even if the pegasus turned out not to be the source of Pinkie's tic. As the three walked, Twilight filled Rarity and Spike in on the events of the previous evening.
"And there I was in a state about how atrocious I thought I looked, just because I hadn't finished primping. This wretched creature has to live with her horrid appearance her entire life?" Rarity shook her head. "I can imagine Fluttershy being most upset at that."
"A visit from Pinkie Pie might be just what she needs right now," replied Twilight. "Spreading joy is what Pinkie lives for, after all."
They followed a winding path leading up a small hillock to a modest sod-roofed cottage. Normally, an assortment of woodland creatures, feathered and furry alike, would have been milling about nearby. Now, the exterior of the cottage seemed deserted, with no sound except a periodic splash of water. After Twilight knocked on the front door, she and her companions exchanged concerned glances as they became aware of the sound of high-pitched, heart-rending wailing emerging from the interior of the cottage.
"Sounds like Pinkie has her work cut out spreading joy around here," said Spike.
"You can say that again."
The three visitors turned in surprise to the cottage entrance. It was Fluttershy who had spoken. Her sad eyes had circles beneath them and her mane was slightly unkempt, yet she was basically composed. She stepped back from the doorway, revealing that the source of the despairing sobs was Pinkie Pie.
Pinkie sat desolately in the centre of the cottage living room. A collection of animals in Fluttershy's care had formed bucket brigades on either side of the pink pony, dutifully collecting the fountains of tears erupting from her eyes and passing the full buckets down the lines to be emptied through a rear window into a large swimming pool, to the delight of a watching sea lion.
As Pinkie noticed her friends' arrival, she struggled to suppress her emotions. "Did-did-did you hear wh-wha-what Flutter ... sh-shy said abou-about the s-squ-squ-squo-squo——?"
"Twilight's told us all about it, darling." Rarity placed a kindly forehoof on Pinkie's shoulder.
Wiping her eyes dry on her foreleg, Pinkie continued, her eyes haunted. "A creature who spends her whole life alone, who spends every waking hour crying? It's just wrong. My destiny, the essence of my being, is to spread joy and laughter. But what can I do to make a squonk feel valued? Tell a joke, sing an upbeat song, bring her to a party? How can I do that if she won't even let me look at her? It's an indispensible part of making others happy. It doesn't matter how exuberant your voice, how upbeat your words, how tasty the treats you're offering: if you're looking elsewhere, they feel ignored. And if they feel ignored, they feel like they don't matter. And if they feel like they don't matter, they feel miserable. And if they feel miserable, they don't. Feel. Happy." The earth pony slumped onto the floor and stared at nothing in particular. "Unless you're blind, then lack of eye contact is acceptable" she added in pensive qualification.
Rarity's look of helpless sympathy suddenly gave way to the wide-eyed gape she usually acquired when inspiration struck her. She gently lifted Pinkie's head and gazed with feline eyes at her. "Why Pinkie Pie, I'm surprised at you, giving in so quickly. Surely you're aware of a certain brand of party that is literally tailor-made for situations such as this?"
Hope flooded Pinkie's blue eyes. "Of course, it's so obvious. A blindfold party! All the guests will wear blindfolds. Hee hee hee, that'll be so much fun. And with an air of mystery, too. We'll have food-tasting contests and piñatas and we'll play Blind Pony's Bluff and Pin the Tail on the——"
"Pinkie!" yelled Twilight, who had spent several seconds trying unsuccessfully to get a word in edgewise. "We can't spend the whole party blindfolded. We'll keep bumping into each other and knocking things over."
"Yeah. In Twilight's case, even more than usual," added Spike, who narrowly ducked a swat from Twilight that collected a little table of Fluttershy's.
As the mortified alicorn levitated the table back to its original position, Pinkie pondered aloud, "Hmm, good point Twilight. Sorry Rarity, looks like we'll have to think of something else."
"I am thinking of something else, as it happens," replied Rarity patiently.
"Already? Wow, that was fast."
Rarity ignored Pinkie's interjection. "Although we will still need some blindfolds."
3. Every night I start out
One of the commonest misconceptions about parties was that they were all about fun.
The parties themselves were fun, of course. That was the reason for their existence. But the preparation and work that went into ensuring said fun ensued without a hitch was serious business. One could not simply cram a random assortment of treats and decorations into a cannon, blast it around the venue and expect everything to be okey-dokey-lokey. No, a party cannon's ammunition needed to be meticulously planned and assembled prior to loading. There were other details to consider, as well. One declined invitation, mistimed remark or culturally insensitive hors d'oeuvre could lead to insult and humiliation that would take years to heal.
So it was with Fluttershy's bid to bring friendship to the squonk's life. The decorations could afford some flexibility but the food, games and costumes had to be perfect. Even the music needed to be conducive to a suitable mode of dancing. One slip—literally— could send the guest of honour lumbering distraught back into the depths of the forest, never to contemplate social interaction again, and all the ponies' endeavours would be for less than naught.
Of course, before the ponies could even begin preparations, they needed to approach the squonk, introduce themselves, convey their invitation and convince her to accept. That phase of the project was a significant operation in itself. Best case scenario, they might successfully befriend the squonk and lift her spirits without even needing the party. Yet failure at any step would compel the ponies to abandon their project altogether.
Nevertheless, despite the risks and required effort, Fluttershy's friends were eager to pitch in and help.
With one exception.
Fluttershy's gape of bewildered dismay was more piercing than the angriest glare. Yet Twilight Sparkle suppressed the pain and marshalled her defences. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy, I just don't think we should be expending all this effort and taking all these risks on a fool's errand."
"How can you say that?" cried Fluttershy. "You're the Princess of Friendship, tasked with spreading its magic throughout Equestria."
"Exactly. Throughout Equestria. The Everfree Forest is outside our jurisdiction."
"Oh, that's just a technicality."
"It is not. That forest is no place to sow friendship. It's an untamed wilderness, home to wild and ferocious animals."
"It's also home to Zecora. Would we hesitate to help her if she needed it?"
Twilight reeled from the blow. "That's different," she blurted unconvincingly. "She's our friend."
"She wasn't always," Fluttershy pointed out. "She used to be an outcast because of where she lives and how she looks."
"So are we going to make friends with every one of the millions of critters in the forest now? Try to solve all of their problems? Where will it all end?"
"Of course not, Twilight. We couldn't do that if we lived forever. But every evening I hear that squonk weeping and wailing, thinking not a creature in the world can ever care about her. How am I supposed to ignore that?"
"The same way you ignored the distress cries of that parasprite who got caught in the silk trap."
Fluttershy flinched as if slapped. She took a few seconds to ride out the hurt of the memory before steadily returning her gaze to Twilight. "I'm not talking about interfering with the Everfree's biological cycles. This is one creature who feels horrible every single night. I can't just leave her like that. Not without at least trying to extend the hoof of friendship to her."
"Zecora already tried that. The way she told it, she only made things worse."
"Well, I mean no disrespect to Zecora, but communicating with wild creatures is my destiny. I believe I can connect to the squonk on a different level."
Twilight's resistance was slipping fast. It was time to unleash her finishing move. All or nothing. "That's all very well but you really need to see this first." The alicorn levitated a volume from one of the many bookshelves lining the castle sitting room. She opened the copy of Weighty Tome's Monsters—Mythical and Mundane to a bookmarked page and suspended it in front of Fluttershy's muzzle. "I've highlighted the relevant section."
As Fluttershy scanned the open pages, her mouth and green eyes gradually widened in horror, then screwed up into a grimace. Her eyes foundered with tears and a series of pitiable squeaks trickled through her trembling lips.
The passage she read told of a time many years ago, when a pair of unicorn explorers had discovered a squonk in the wild. Fascinated, they laid a trap for the poor beast and carried him, in a locked container, back to the realm of Equestria. The unscrupulous explorers turned a deaf ear towards his horrific pleas to be let go, pleas that reached a shrieking crescendo before falling silent. When they finally arrived with their prize before a group of curious onlookers, they opened their container to reveal nothing but a deep pool of salty water.
Twilight spoke pensively, "If we try to impose socialisation upon the squonk, the same could happen to her."
It took Fluttershy several seconds to find her voice. "Twilight, I-I-even if I hadn't just read that horrible story, you must know that I would never push the squonk into a social situation against her will. You know how much I hate being the centre of attention. How much worse would it be for her? I've already discussed safety precautions with Pinkie and Rarity. And joining us will be purely her choice. No pressure."
"But do you really think she'll take that risk? For the sake of a bit of fun?"
"Ponies across Equestria do all kinds of dangerous things for fun. Ziplining, white water rafting, bungee jumping, deep sea diving, those terrifying rides they have at carnivals—what are they called again? Ferris wheels? If just one thing goes wrong it could cost lives. Yet they do them anyway. It's not my thing but who am I to judge? This may be the only 'bit of fun' the squonk has ever known. And like I said, it's her choice. If she's game then so am I."
"And if she doesn't want to know?"
Fluttershy paused, blinking three times. "So be it. It won't be easy, hearing her cry every night. But at least I'll know I gave her a chance to experience friendship. I can't do any more than that."
The alicorn thought furiously for a few seconds before mentally giving the floor three rapid taps of her forehoof. "What do you need me to do?" she smiled.
Fluttershy's look of joy was like a huge pink-and-yellow flower, bursting into full bloom. "Oh Twilight, I'm so happy you're helping." She lunged forwards and buried her face in Twilight's shoulder, nuzzling firmly as if trying to burrow her way through her friend's hide. "You don't know how much this means to me."
Twilight glanced down at the fragile, softly spoken pegasus who was showering her with effusive gratitude. She had often encouraged—practically demanded, she had to admit—Fluttershy to stand up for herself. Now the little sissy could kick her hindquarters, fair and square, without needing any kind of emotional appeal. Be careful what you wish for, the princess thought with a chuckle.
"What's so funny, Twilight?"
"Oh, I'm just wondering whatever happened to that timid, delicate little pushover I met when I first came to Ponyville."
"Oh dear. Maybe I can help. What does she look like?"
* * *
The sky had darkened from pink to the deep purple of dusk, the first stars gingerly taking the chance to reveal their light. The sounds of the Everfree Forest were in transit, twittering birds giving way to insectile and amphibian chirping, punctuated with assorted mammalian growls and cries. One cry in particular caught the attention of the four ponies gathered at the edge of the forest.
"Okay, let's go." A brilliant beam of light diverged from Twilight Sparkle's horn as the princess led the way into the forest. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy followed behind, while Rainbow Dash hovered at the rear, casting her torch in a wide arc to ensure nothing surprised the ponies from behind. They made as little sound as possible as they honed in on the funereal moaning of the squonk.
When it sounded like their target was only a few dozen metres away, Fluttershy whispered, "Okay, this should be near enough."
"Got it," replied Twilight. "Rainbow?"
Rainbow Dash gave a military-style salute to her three friends, then turned in mid-air to face away from them. She continued to arc her beam around the forest, taking care not to wave it in the direction of the squonk's despairing sobs.
"The rest of us, assume position." The other three ponies assembled themselves in single file. Pinkie Pie lifted her fluffy pink tail to the muzzle of Fluttershy, who clamped her jaws down on the tip. Pinkie, in turn, fastened her teeth onto the majenta-streaked, purple tail of Twilight's. A surge of energy from Twilight's horn opened the flap on her saddlebag and retrieved three sleeping masks Rarity had lent them for the exercise. Twilight guided one mask each to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie and fastened them on. "Can you see anything?"
"Mmh-mmh," her friends grunted in the negative, through mouths full of tail hair.
Satisfied, Twilight placed the third face mask over her own eyes. The already dim light of the forest was now completely gone from her sight. Ending the spell that generated the light beam from her horn, she switched to a different spell, one that produced not light but sound.
Among the vast array of books Twilight had acquired to line the walls of Friendship Castle was a volume of biomimicry spells. Some of the powers that Equestria's fauna exhibited seemed almost magical even to unicorns. One such power was sonar. The ability to navigate through darkness without revealing one's own presence with light seemed decidedly useful. So it was that Marathon Safari and Dawn Batcloud, through diligent study of bats and dolphins, adapted their innate magic to send pulses of sound from their spiral horns, and return signals clearly indicating what tangible objects lay ahead, above and below, even in pitch darkness. After a quick refresher and some practice, Twilight was able to replicate their spell sufficiently to lead her two friends carefully through the forest. She followed the clearest path, negotiating obstacles and staying alert for any approaching danger—a serious instance of which would prompt an immediate retreat to Ponyville.
Of course, they still needed to exercise caution. The density of the surrounding plant life was no more easily penetrable by sonar than by eyesight. And even the forest's flora could cause trouble: Twilight had stocked up on a variety of remedies that day, in case she woke up the next morning to find, say, her horn flaccid and covered in spots.
* * *
Time to get up already?
Why should I even bother?
What do I hope to accomplish?
What do I have to look forward to?
Who would miss me if I just stayed in this hole forever?
I'm thirsty.
With despondent resignation, the squat creature hauled herself to her feet, peered out the entrance of her den to ensure nothing was nearby, and lumbered outside, shaking the excess dirt off. As usual, the action made her wish there was more about herself she could shake off, and as the inescapable burden of being what she was began to weigh her down, her first sobs of the day bubbled up from within. She trudged towards the nearby spring that provided her supply of fresh water, a supply she dearly needed in order to compensate for the dehydration of her continual weeping.
Am I being ... followed?
The sound of the squonk's crying grew louder in the ponies' ears, and not because they were drawing nearer, at least not directly. Animal bodies react to signs of danger with stress, sometimes known as the "fight or flight" response. Squonks had no natural weapons, and their sagging hides and splayed feet ruled out flight as an option. Some harmless, slow-moving animals opted to hide or freeze and hope the threat bypassed them. For a squonk, the trail of tears they typically left behind rendered this tactic useless, even if they were capable of refraining from sobbing for more than a few seconds.
Their solution was the opposite: a loss of inhibitions, making them cry even louder and harder than usual. This served a similar purpose to a threatening display. Other animals no more wanted a visual encounter with a squonk than a squonk himself would, so the distinctive bawling enabled them to give the unhappy creature a wide berth.
Of course an unchecked increase in any creature's stress level could be fatal, more rapidly so for a squonk than for most other creatures. So when this squonk realised that her louder cries were only drawing the approaching hoofbeats even more quickly, her anxiety began to flare into panic. She looked awkwardly behind herself and in the dim light of the forest she saw the string of three ponies only a few feet away.
The squonk lifted her voice and unleashed a howl of naked dread, her pitch raising and lowering. "No! Don't look at me! Please! Go away, leave me alone! Don't look at me! Don't look at me!"
"We're not looking at you." Fluttershy's voice was only slightly raised above her usual soft, gentle timbre yet somehow, in the squonk's ears, it cut through her own unbridled screams like a knife through warm butter. Her shrieks of terror died down into whimpers and acquired a touch of bewilderment. "Show her, Twilight."
Twilight conjured a light spell. Not the powerful, direct beam she had used to light the way through the forest, but a soft, radiant glow, like a candle, bathing herself and her two friends. Still whimpering, the squonk peered at the three visitors, who were now standing roughly side by side. She saw the material covering their eyes and noticed that their faces were aimed in her general direction, rather than directly at her. Most importantly, they were clearly not leering, recoiling nor hurrying off with cries of dismay. They were standing there. With her. Smiling.
The squonk spoke cautiously, her words irregularly interrupted by sniffs, sobs and gulps. "All right, so you're not looking at me. What are you doing here then? What do you want with me? I'm upset."
"That's what we're doing here," replied Fluttershy. "I've been hearing you cry for weeks and the thought of you being so upset all this time is awful to me."
"Oh. Well, I'm sorry if my chronic abject misery makes you uncomfortable but it kind of goes with the territory when you're the most repulsive abomination ever to desecrate the earth. We're born ugly and we get uglier every day. I'm a squonk. A squonk ." She repeated the word with a deliberate enunciation that unmistakably conveyed her distaste. "Even my kind's name is ugly."
"Well, we could call you something different if you'd prefer. Do you have a name of your own?"
The squonk's confusion was mounting at this unprecedented encounter. "Uhh..."
"I'm Fluttershy. These are my friends Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle." By prior arrangement, Fluttershy had omitted the royal title from Twilight's name. She felt the squonk would likely be nervous enough about meeting new friends; knowing she was in the presence of royalty might be too intimidating. Twilight herself had no objections. On the contrary, she preferred being called plain old 'Twilight', although she tolerated Rainbow Dash teasingly addressing her by the ambiguous epithet 'princess'.
"Hi," Pinkie chirped brightly.
"Pleased to meet you," added Twilight.
"Elegy," the squonk responded guardedly. Her weepy voice seemed young, slightly younger than the ponies.
Fluttershy smiled. "That's a pretty name."
"It's a miserable name for a miserable animal. Now, was there anything else?"
"Would you like to talk for a while?"
"Why? Will talking improve my appearance?"
"Will crying?"
Elegy sputtered, trying to think of something to say in response.
"Because I don't mean to brag," Fluttershy continued, "but you seem to have been crying a lot less since we started talking."
"Terrific. Too bad I've nothing to talk about. I eat, I sleep, I cry. That's my life. Compelling stuff. Now go home, little ponies. It's not safe for you out here."
"Oh? Is it safe for you out here?"
A hollow, joyless, bitter laugh burst forth from Elegy. "Oh it's safe for me, all right, thanks to my complexion. Warts mean disease and no predator wants to ingest that. They won't even come near me."
"Then it seems to me that the safest place for us to be is here with you."
Elegy struggled to make sense of the situation. "Why are you doing this? Nothing wants to be with me."
"Not even other squonks?"
"We're solitary. Our mothers stay with us until we can fend for ourselves. After that, usually the only time we see any other squonks is during mating season, and I am so not talking about that, okay?"
"I understand," said Fluttershy gently.
"You do not understand," Elegy spat in sudden aggression. "Don't you dare tell me you understand. Look at you. Look at all of you. Your manes, your coats, your cute little muzzles. You're about the prettiest creatures I've ever seen. How can you possibly know what it's like to have to hide yourself away all the time, to see everything else flinch and recoil and run off as soon as you enter their field of vision? So don't you pretend to understand anything about me."
Normally, an outburst like this would send Fluttershy into a hurried, stammering denial, after which she would whimper an apology for taking up her attacker's time, and slink away. This time, she forced herself to absorb Elegy's vitriol and calmly let it dissipate from her. "I can't begin to imagine what that must be like. But I'll tell you what I do understand: feeling alone. Feeling like I'm not good enough. Being afraid to engage with other ponies because it would mean looking them in the eye, having them look me in the eye, trying to come up with something to say that they might want to hear.
"Good looks won't solve all your problems, any more than being smart or athletic or outgoing. We all have our weaknesses. My biggest one is, well, weakness. It can get very frustrating for other ponies, and a few times it's even caused them real trouble.
"But I have friends who understand me, who are patient with me, who help me better myself while staying true to who I am."
"Well I'm glad to hear it," replied Elegy, not sounding glad at all. "I sure wish I could have friends who take me as I am."
"You can," urged Fluttershy. "You just have to give it a chance. If my friends can get used to me and my ways, maybe we can get used to your——"
"No." Elegy's response was terse and firm.
"If I could just suggest——"
"No."
"Coming to meet——"
"No. No, no, no, no, no." Elegy's voice reached a crescendo of panicked screams and she cowered from eyes that could not see her. "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!"
"We have to comfort her," cried Pinkie Pie.
"We have to turn back," insisted Twilight Sparkle.
"We have to wait ." Fluttershy placed a firm emphasis on her final word. "Listen."
The nature of Elegy's crying had changed significantly. No longer shrieking, she had quietened to a series of breathy, tremulous, high-pitched whimpers. They were the cries of one desperately trying to quell her terrors. Elegy had sensed the rising stress levels that accompanied the prospect of visual exposure, and had almost given full-throated control to them.
Yet there was something very different about these ponies. They had taken considerable trouble to put her at ease. Walking blindfolded through the Everfree Forest after sundown was no light undertaking. And instead of forcibly thrusting her into the intolerable glare of attention, they were inviting her. How likely was it that they would go to these lengths just to make sport of a creature they didn't even know? Would they truly be that cruel?
Perhaps. But how could they convince her that their intentions were honourable?
"Look," Elegy paused for a copious, wet sniffle, "maybe you really do want to get to know me and maybe you really do believe you can lay your eyes on me without being totally disgusted and appalled. I'm just afraid you're promising something you can't deliver. I've seen those looks too many times and I never get used to it. And when I say I'm afraid I mean seriously afraid. I've heard stories from my mother, passed down from generation to generation, about what happens when we're forced to be looked at. Let's just say that among us squonks, 'dying of embarrassment' is not just an expression."
Fluttershy nodded. "Elegy, if you're willing to listen, we may have a way around that. Pinkie?"
The pink pony cleared her throat and spoke. "I, Pinkie Pie, am Ponyville's premier party planning pony. And one does not appropriate the position of Ponyville's premier party planning pony without being primed and pumped to prepare for all potential possibilities. So please permit me to present the proceeding proposition to prevent the problem posed by your paucity of pulchritude."
Elegy looked uncertainly at her. "You're not all going to wear blindfolds the whole time, are you?"
"Of course not."
"Hey, Twilight. And you must be Elegy. I'm Spike. Come on in, the party's this way."
As the baby dragon waddled smartly back down the hallway, Elegy felt another layer of nervousness evaporate from herself. Her outfit had passed its second test. The first was when Twilight Sparkle arrived in the forest to escort her to the party. There was not a trace of revulsion in Twilight's eyes, voice nor body language at the sight of Elegy.
Yet Twilight had met, if not seen, Elegy already; the ice was broken. This Spike creature was a complete stranger to the squonk. So his genial, eager, unaffected reaction to her appearance strongly indicated that her ugliness was suitably concealed. Sighing inwardly, she stepped over the threshold of the castle's main entrance.
Twilight Sparkle was rather relieved as well. In order to bring Elegy from the forest without snagging their outfits on any jutting twigs, she had shielded them both in a forcefield that she levitated to Friendship Castle. She found it a highly draining spell, and was very glad to switch it off when they arrived.
As her trepidation lessened, Elegy was able to register the beauty and enormity of her surroundings. "A castle? We're having a party in a castle? How were you able to persuade the owner?"
"I am the owner," replied Twilight unguardedly.
Elegy stopped walking. "You-you own a castle? So, you're part of the royal bloodline of your realm? Or are you a member of nobility?"
Twilight suddenly felt abashed. She didn't want Elegy thinking she was especially important, just a pony trying to be a friend. "Oh no, nothing like that. I, acquired this facility when I, uh, I mean my friends and I, um..." The princess cleared her throat. Saving all of Equestria made her sound even more important. "I'll explain later. Plenty of time."
"I can't wait to hear it," Elegy enthused. "A castle. Complete with your own servant."
"Servant?!" exclaimed Twilight, appalled at the connotations such a word carried.
Before she could correct her visitor, Spike dashed up to the pair and bowed at the waist. "You summoned me, O Mistress?"
Twilight gnashed her teeth menacingly at the scaly smart-alec, who bowed even lower in response. "Have I done something to displease you? B-be merciful, I pray." Spike's voice quivered with what sounded like dread but was mostly due to his trying not to giggle.
"Spike, quit kidding around and lead us on."
"As you command, m'lady," Spike whimpered, backing obsequiously down the hallway.
Twilight blurted after him, "You're evil".
"A thousand apologies, Your Highness."
"Evil!" Her cheeks burning like lava, Twilight whinnied a forced, awkward laugh towards the bemused squonk as the pair resumed walking. "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, 'servant'. Spike is my assistant . He helps me set up and test my spells, finds the books and scrolls I need, provides me with refreshments, cleans up the castle ohlookherewearelet'sgoin." Twilight was enormously relieved when she and Elegy reached the large double doorway.
Spike pushed against the door closest to him and held it wide open, then turned to the two females outside. Gesturing with his free forefoot for them to enter, he proudly announced, "Welcome to the Friendship Castle Masquerade Party".
Twilight waited beside Elegy, who was taking a moment to ready herself for the third and final test of her outfit. Finally deciding it was now or never, the squonk stepped tentatively into the ballroom.
She wore a sheer, opaque gown of midnight blue, trimmed with small, glittering stars of silver. The garment reached from her back to the floor and concealed her shoulders, flanks and hindquarters. A matching shawl and veil hid all but her eyes. Beneath her ensemble she wore a set of undergarments that Rarity had fashioned as an extra precaution.
To avoid making Elegy feel singled out, the ponies in attendance also wore full-body gowns and an assortment of flamboyant hats and decorative masks. Spike himself wore a tuxedo with tails (enclosing his real tail) and a fierce-looking yet strikingly handsome papier-mâché dragon head of gold, orange and black, hiding all but his lower jaw and eyes.
Eyes. Elegy could not fail to be struck by them. The ponies' enormous eyes were a world away from the blank, beady eyes of the squonk. Gleaming, dilated pupils ringed with brightly coloured irises. Wide, long-lashed and expressive. And what they expressed now was welcoming warmth. No flinches of horror nor winces of disgust. Not even a twitch. They truly did want her company.
"Elegy." A pair of aqua eyes surrounded by a butterfly-wing mask and feathered headdress approached her. The ornate headwear and flowing, veridian cloak did nothing to hide the unmistakable, delicate, cooing voice of Fluttershy. "I'm so glad you made it."
"Believe me, I'm glad that you're glad. I was so anxious."
"Let me introduce you to the others."
Of course, Elegy had already met some of the guests but did not recognise them in their costumes. When she finally came to Rarity, she thanked the unicorn profusely for all the trouble she went to in creating the squonk's outfit.
"Not at all, Elegy. Making your ensemble was a breeze."
"Who said anything about making it? I meant taking my measurements."
Rarity hesitated involuntarily. "Oh, think nothing of it."
"Nothing?" Elegy turned to the others. "I made Rarity do it all blindfolded. The poor thing had to guide her tape measure to all my different body parts using directions that I called out to her. 'Over to the left. No, my left. I mean forward. No, too far. Down more. Back up more.'" As she recounted the process, the absurdity of it all magnified in her mind until her words disintegrated into uproarious laughter.
It had been an age since her last honest laugh. She exploited the sensation for all it was worth, letting it consume her and drive out her last vestiges of hesitancy. She did not falter until she noticed that Rarity, unlike the other assembled party guests, was not joining in the hilarity, instead looking away in what seemed like embarrassment.
"Oh, I'm sorry Rarity, I shouldn't laugh. It must have been so frustrating for you."
"Nonsense, dear," the unicorn replied, looking back at the squonk. "It's fine to laugh about it now. Besides, what's a party without laughter?"
"A gathering," Pinkie Pie pronounced with proud authority. "Or possibly an assembly."
"Well, now that we've answered that burning question, how about some food?" Rainbow Dash, hovering above the ballroom floor, pointed her forehoof along an L-shaped arrangement of tables loaded with refreshments.
Elegy had to admit she was hungry, and the bewildering symphony of aromas teasing her sensitive snout made her mouth water. Pies, cakes, fruity pastries, biscotti, truffles and punchbowls testified to the array of sweet and tangy produce Ponyville and her surrounds had to offer. Of greater interest to Elegy, though, were the savoury offerings. Spinach and feta parcels, eggplant and pepper frittatas, olive and sun-dried tomato tapenades with crackers, nacho platters piled with beans, guacamole and sour cream, mini pizzas, a home-made salt lick. Salt replenishment was a constant need for ever-teary squonks, even more so than other mammals, and she feasted on the savouries with relish.
Her immediate cravings satiated, Elegy gazed at her surroundings. Strips of brightly-coloured material stretched like vines across the walls and from table to table. The squonk examined them. Thin, flat and dry, like tree bark. Adding even more colour to her surroundings was an assortment of glossy, egg-shaped globes, some fastened to the walls, some drifting around the floor and some reaching for the ceiling, their ascent halted by strings connecting them to weights on the tables.
Elegy took hold of one of the floor-borne balloons and examined it with the intent wonder of an infant clapping eyes on a new toy. She studied the light reflections on its contours, felt its smooth texture, pressed the curves together to gain a sense of the air pressure within ...
Squealing with alarm at the sudden explosion, the squonk darted her eyes around the ballroom to ensure the assembled party guests had come to no harm. They seemed fine. Elegy chuckled. It was a primal reaction of relief, like a baby startled by her first sneeze or by her parent suddenly re-appearing after a few seconds of hiding.
"Woo. Loud. Heh-heh." Her face fell when she noticed the limp shreds of rubber left behind, the balloon's formerly festive colour now dim and dull. "Oh no, I've ruined it."
Pinkie Pie was by her side. She had long ago accepted that one or two balloons bursting was the rule in parties, rather than the exception. "It's okay, Elegy. There are plenty to spare." She leaned in to whisper, "Just try not to do that around Fluttershy. She gets startled super easily." Pulling back, she reverted to her usual cheery demeanour. "So, how do you like the food?"
"Oh. Uh, delicious, just what I needed. Plenty more I'd like to try yet, too."
"How do you like the decorations?" added Rarity, who had strolled over to join the pair.
Elegy thought they were pale approximations of the panoply of colours she had seen in the forest the few times she had peeked from her burrow during daylight hours, but she was hardly going to let on about that. "They're very pretty."
"How do you know about castles and servants when you live all alone in the forest?" asked Twilight Sparkle with an eagerness no other creature in attendance felt in the slightest.
Elegy faltered. "From what I can gather from my mother's stories, there was a period, hundreds of years ago, when squonks tried to integrate into pony society. They managed to learn a few details before they were driven out—whether that was by the ponies or their own sense of shame depends on which squonk you ask."
Twilight had never encountered such stories in any of the histories she had pored over. Maybe pony historians had suppressed it through embarrassment, or perceived lack of interest. She drank in this new knowledge like cool spring water. "That's fascinating."
"Fascinating?" exclaimed Elegy. "It's horrible. Those squonks were my forebears. We've lived as outcasts to this day."
"I'm so sorry, Elegy," bleated Twilight, her eyes quivering with guilt. "I didn't mean to upset you. Sometimes my desire to learn gets the better of me." She soughed a joyless chuckle. "As you can probably tell, I find some things harder to learn than others."
"I didn't come all this way after hours of getting dressed up and bracing myself for the potentially lethal experience of having a dozen eyes trained on me, so I could spend the whole time dwelling on my kind's lot in life. That's all I ever do. I want to take my mind off of all that, to have some of this 'fun' Pinkie Pie promised. Can we do that please?"
"Absotutely-lutely," chirped Pinkie Pie, keen to restore the upbeat mood needed for successful party. "How about a dance?"
Elegy frowned in puzzlement. "What's a 'dance'?"
In a rush to atone for her clumsy attempt to connect with Elegy, Twilight jumped in, "It's the art of employing various gross motor functions in synchronisation with, or in interpretation of, a musical opus."
Rainbow Dash suppressed a groan. Who else but Twilight Sparkle would make something so fun and cool sound like something out of a biomechanics textbook? And did she really use the word 'gross'?
Not wanting to seem ignorant, Elegy stood dumbfoundedly, hoping some other pony would explain in less esoteric terms.
"Maybe it would be clearer if I just gave you a demonstration." Summoning power from her horn, Twilight cranked the handle of a gramophone player resting on a small table, the action sending the black, grooved disc into a clockwise rotation on the player's turntable. She adjusted her magic to lift the needle onto the disc, filling the room with jaunty music. Grinning eagerly, the alicorn took position facing Elegy and prepared to wow her with the new self-conceived step she had been practising lately.
A loud but dull cacophony of slithering and clattering noises, followed by a lengthy cry of melodramatic dismay, pre-empted the demonstration. Twilight and the other guests turned to see Rarity standing beside a disarrayed heap of books, several of which had fallen open. The tomes were strewn in front of the open glass door of one of the several decorative book cabinets Twilight had strategically dotted around the ballroom in case of book emergencies. Rarity had thrown her masked head back, her front coronet raised to her forelock.
"Ohh, you clumsy oaf, Rarity! Erm, Twilight darling, dreadfully sorry to drag you away from our guest but I would simply hate to put any of these books of yours back in the wrong place, so if——"
Twilight materialised there in an instant, courtesy of her teleportation spell. One by one, she lifted the fallen volumes, checked their pages for creases, then inserted them neatly back in their designated positions. As the alicorn busied herself, Rarity gave the nod to the other assembled ponies, who proceeded to give Elegy a somewhat less alarming illustration of dancing than Twilight would likely have managed.
Despite her uncertainty, Elegy absorbed the basic concept of dancing rather quickly. Dancing is not learned behaviour (although proficiency at the art obviously requires tuition and practice) but a spontaneous reaction to music. Yet squonks rarely if ever had the chance to experience such reactions. Generally, the only music in their lives was their own morose laments that hardly lent themselves to rhythmic interpretation, or the dawn chorus of birdsong that signalled the squonks to retire to their dens and cry themselves to sleep. Now, feeling the buoyant rhythm of the infectious music coursing through her, Elegy found herself jigging eagerly if not elegantly. Her stilted awkwardness at trying something new, and her upset triggered by the mention of squonk history, dissipated as if being pumped out through her stamping legs.
Not that she lost all her inhibitions; she continually checked her outfit to ensure it did not fly up to reveal any of her ghastly complexion. Thankfully, Pinkie Pie had ensured the music selection was fun but not too exuberant. She even forced herself to cut the can-can numbers.
Elegy never wanted the dancing sensation to end. Inevitably, though, she had to give in to the physical limitations of her squat, flaccid body. Thankfully, as she took her rest over punch and snacks, the entertainment continued. Wanting to get to know her hosts, these strange creatures who went out of their way to invite her into their lives, she asked them to tell her about themselves, their interests, accomplishments and what generally made them tick.
So they talked. They talked about their backgrounds. About their cutie marks—the symbols decorating the ponies' hindquarters, representing their unique destinies. About how they all met, their manifold acts of heroism (Rainbow Dash needed no encouragement on that subject), Twilight Sparkle's ascendancy to the title of princess, the magic of friendship, the wondrous castle map summoning them to different parts of Equestria to spread that magic, and many other subjects.
And Elegy blissfully took it all in. She felt no pressure to talk about herself. She just wanted to listen, and her hosts obliged.
Eventually, after hours of talking and eating and dancing and game-playing and pranking and more dancing, Elegy noticed that the energy level among the party guests—Pinkie Pie aside—began to dwindle. "Is something wrong?" she asked Fluttershy.
"It just means we'll probably be ready to go home soon. It's a little sad I guess, but parties can't last forever."
"Oh." Elegy thought for a second. "Um, do you think your friends would mind if I addressed them as a group before we left?"
"I think we'd all be delighted." Fluttershy clasped her teeth around the handle of a teaspoon and gently tinkled it against the rim of a nearby glass. All eyes turned towards her, triggering a sharp pang of nervousness. Suppressing her anxiety for the sake of her guest, she spoke up. "Everypony, if you would be so kind as to give Elegy your attention, she'd like to say a few words."
Elegy faced her audience undaunted. She had been loath to make conversation during the party, as she felt she had nothing worthwhile to say. That was no longer the case. "Mares and gentlestall—uh, dragons, I'd just like to let you all know that this is, without a doubt, the most joyous time I have ever had. I can't tell you how grateful I am to you. Going blindfolded into that forest, convincing me to give socialising a chance even when all I did was tell you to go away. Planning the party so that everything was just right. My outfit, well, we've already been through that.
"But most of all, you've accepted me without reservation. You didn't care about what horrible spectacle might be lurking underneath my costume. You just treated me as a welcome guest."
"Yeah we did," brayed Rainbow Dash, as if it were patently obvious that such gracious behaviour was a quintessential part of the ponies' collective nature and definitely not the result of a lesson they had to learn through a humbling life experience. "You're welcome to hang with us any time."
"It's your character that is truly important to us," added Rarity. "Although a fetching outfit certainly helps make a good impression."
Fluttershy's aqua eyes smiled at Elegy. "In fact, we wouldn't mind at all if we did see what was under your costume."
"WHAT?!"
"But only if you really want to," Fluttershy cut in hastily, desperate to avoid triggering another panic attack in her guest.
"No," Elegy growled sternly, breathing deeply through her snout, fighting to keep her emotions in check.
"Okay Elegy, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to put you under any pressure." Fluttershy's relief at seeing the squonk stay relatively calm alleviated her disappointment. "But do you mind if I ask why not?"
"Why n——?" Elegy choked down the explosive response her instinct was prompting her to unleash. Only a moment ago she was exalting the selfless kindness of her hosts. She needed to choose her words, and the way she said them, carefully.
Taking a few seconds to compose herself, Elegy faced the others and spoke in a measured tone. "I've heard a lot about the magic of friendship tonight. For me to reveal myself in all my repulsiveness to another creature, I would need to trust that creature whole-heartedly. To know that they were the staunchest of friends, sticking by me no matter what.
"Now, as I said, you've all gone to incredible lengths to bring joy into my life. And believe me, it's worked.
"But there's more to friendship than just doing things for one another, isn't there? From the stories you've told me, you've all done good deeds for strangers. Enemies, even. And they haven't always become your friends. Friendship needs a special bond, a connection.
"And I've seen it between all of you since I got here. The looks in your eyes. The way you are with each other, the way you talk to each other, even the way you tease each other. You may be wearing masks but I see it as clearly as a full moon on a cloudless night.
"And even though none of you have done anything wrong or said anything wrong I-I just don't feel that connection with you. Not yet. Maybe some night." She hung her head. "I'm sorry."
"You've nothing to be sorry about." Fluttershy extended her wing over Elegy's shoulders. "'Friend' isn't a word we use lightly either."
Her friends murmured pensive terms of agreement.
Acutely aware of the shift in mood of the party, Elegy glanced awkwardly around the floor, noting a small cluster of balloons gliding towards her feet.
"Well, this wasn't quite the reaction I was hoping my speech would get. Maybe this will help." Before Elegy had stopped speaking, she lifted her right foreleg and drove it down.
Her timing was impeccable. The suction of her leg lift had drawn the balloon directly beneath her foot, which descended as if to the beat of a rousing song. The explosion sounded thunderous in the quiet lull, and came the very instant Elegy finished her sentence. The exhilaration of the sudden noise, accompanied by Fluttershy rocketing into the air and squealing in terror, sent Elegy into a paroxysm of bellowing laughter. She staggered back as the hilarity of the moment gripped her. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were right. A well-timed prank could cut tension like lightning splitting a tree. It was just what she needed to lighten the mood.
It took her several seconds to notice she was the only one laughing.
* * *
Rainbow Dash had descended to the ballroom floor and was shifting her eyes around uncomfortably. The others glared at Elegy with an emotion the likes of which she hadn't seen yet in her hosts' eyes. Revulsion? Not quite. Distaste? Sort of.
Elegy glanced nervously at her outfit. "Is my hide showing?"
"You might say we're seeing the hide of you," Rarity replied stiffly.
Ah. Reproof. That was the emotion their eyes were——
Reproof?
"Elegy!" exclaimed a flabbergasted Pinkie Pie. "What did I tell you about that?"
"That you had plenty of balloons to go around?"
"Not about the balloons, you-you-you," the pink pony struggled for the word that would adequately convey the seriousness of Elegy's misdeed, "meanie-buttocks!"
Bewildered and afraid, Elegy took a step back and darted her eyes around the cluster of ponies for Fluttershy, hoping the kindly, understanding pegasus could explain what had gone wrong.
Wait, where was Fluttershy?
Elegy felt a sense of dread permeating her. Timidly, she looked up to the ballroom ceiling.
Fluttershy's legs gripped the chandelier like tentacles. Her body trembled. Her eyes were shut tight, and through her bared teeth emerged a series of plaintive squeaks and whimpers.
"Fluttershy? Did-did I really scare you that much?"
Still not daring to part her eyelids, Fluttershy nodded, emitting an unintelligible squeak.
"You don't think being scared is fun at all, do you?"
The pegasus shook her head frantically and squeaked some more.
Wincing, Elegy reluctantly returned her gaze to the others. "And you all understood this because you're her friends." She let out a long, sorrowful groan, ending in a sob.
"Uh-oh. Everypony, look away." Twilight Sparkle had stressed to all of her friends in attendance the danger that Elegy might literally dissolve in tears if she were forced into the centre of attention, and had been on alert through the evening for any hint of crying from the squonk. As she and her friends turned from Elegy, Twilight readied her magic to gutter all of the party lights, should the situation demand further measures.
Yet Elegy's appearance was the last thing on her mind. She was suffering an altogether different emotional reaction, one all the more cruel for being the result of her deliberate actions rather than circumstances beyond her control.
She was weeping with remorse.
"You don't have to—no, go ahead. Avert your eyes. I would too in your position." Elegy sniffed, and morosely flicked at a section of her gown. "Looks like this outfit couldn't totally conceal my ugliness after all."
Twilight thought it was time for some reconciliation. Carefully, she turned back and started approaching the squonk. "Look, how about we all just——?"
"Leave me alone." Elegy lumbered towards the ballroom doors.
"Elegy, wait," cried Fluttershy. It was her idea to bring the squonk here. She couldn't let it end like this, with Elegy feeling even worse than before. All the forgiveness in Equestria wouldn't lift Elegy's burden of guilt unless it included that of the pony she had directly hurt.
Of course, Fluttershy's grace would be a lot more convincing if she weren't still clinging for dear life to the chandelier.
The primrose pegasus closed her eyes—gently this time—and took several deep, slow breaths, steadily pushing the terror of the explosion from her mind and the trembling from her body. Yet with the shock of the burst balloon gone a new, deeper fear surged into Fluttershy's psyche to take its place: the fear that came from the act of the prank itself. From another creature wantonly taking advantage of her weakness for a laugh. In order to forgive Elegy truly, she would need to let go of this sensation too.
Ordinarily, Fluttershy would do so by picturing the offending party in her mind's eye until the image no longer provoked her instinctive fear. As she did not know what Elegy really looked like, she instead recalled the squonk's voice. Not her normal weepy, self-pitying speaking voice but the gleeful, uninhibited laughter that had come at Fluttershy's expense. The pony ran the sound through her mind in a continuous loop, until she felt her tight cringe melt completely away, first from her muzzle, then from the rest of her body, signalling her conquest of her hurt. A few tiny lances of resentment began to prick her consciousness but she banished them easily; she had little capacity for bitterness.
Finally at peace, Fluttershy opened her eyes.
Then immediately snapped them shut again. Her mistake was casting her eyes towards Elegy from the chandelier. This meant looking down, whereupon she perceived just how high the ballroom ceiling was. She tried to spread her wings but they were frozen to her flanks, paralysed with an irrational dread that would take too long to dissipate even if it were possible. "Um, Rainbow? Twilight? A little help please?"
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and ascended with Twilight to the chandelier. The two fliers placed their forehooves under Fluttershy's legs at either side and gently but firmly pulled, only to find the limbs maintaining a reflexive iron grip around the fixture.
"Uh, Fluttershy, a little help please?" Rainbow Dash asked pointedly.
"I'm trying. Nngh, nnngnngnnghh."
Twilight let go of the straining Fluttershy and descended just below the chandelier. She generated a stream of magical energy that reached the bottommost tip of the chandelier and widened into an inverted dome. The dome flowed up between the fixture and Fluttershy's terrified clutch. An adjustment of the energy expanded the dome farther, prising Fluttershy's legs free. Rainbow Dash swiftly thrust her legs under Fluttershy's, and Twilight flew up to take some of the weight. Together, they lowered the pale yellow pony to the ballroom floor.
"Do I have to wait much longer?" asked Elegy.
"Almost there." Fluttershy had relaxed as she neared the floor. Her two friends released her and she approached the squonk, who was unable to face her.
"She warned me. Pinkie Pie specifically warned me not to pop any balloons near you. I-I didn't realise how serious she was. I just wanted to give you a bit of a start. I was trying to ... I didn't think you'd ..." Elegy heaved a sigh. "I didn't think. I'm so, so sorry."
"I know. It was a simple misunderstanding. You're not used to interacting with others and you're not used to me. I wouldn't expect you to get everything right in your first social outing."
Elegy warily shifted her eyes towards Fluttershy. "So you-you're, you're okay? With me? With that stupid balloon prank?"
"Consider it forgotten. Think nothing more of it." Fluttershy turned to her assembled friends. "Right, everypony?"
"If Fluttershy's good, then I'm good," declared Rainbow Dash. The others vocalised their assent.
The convolutions around Elegy's beady eyes tightened into little smile lines. "You're too kind."
"I can be sometimes," Fluttershy admitted, "but I believe on this occasion I'm being just kind enough. Now let's go back and wrap this party up properly."
Elegy sagged. "Oh, what's the use? I've ruined the mood twice already. I'm afraid anything else I say or do will just wreck things even more."
"Are you kidding?" Pinkie Pie, eyes alight with excitement, bounded up to the squonk. "You've totally turned this into one of the best parties I've ever thrown."
"What do you mean? I upset Fluttershy. I upset you all."
Twilight Sparkle walked up to join the little group. "But you realised your mistake and apologised."
"I only did what Fluttershy did after she tried to push me into revealing myself, or you after you acted all excited about squonk history. Is that so unusual, treating others as they treat you?"
Twilight's smile turned wistful beneath her mask. "You'd be surprised. Another might have tried to justify herself. Told Fluttershy she was being silly, told us we were over-reacting.
"Our duty is to spread the magic of friendship. You may not consider us your friends, Elegy, but you've shown that you understand a crucial manifestation of friendship. At your first big social activity, too. If that's not a cause for celebration then the Parhelial Paso Doble wasn't the great Star Swirl the Bearded's favourite incantation."
Elegy, still dubious, shrank back a little. "Are you sure?"
"Trust me. I've read his memoirs a dozen times."
"I mean, have I—are you all really going to welcome me back like that balloon incident never happened, and be glad about it?"
"Mmm-hmm," her hosts chorused, their eyes filled with the smile of welcome with which they first greeted her to the party.
Elegy stared dumbfounded for a moment, then shook her head as a little stream of chuckling cascaded over her slack jaw. "You did it. You really did it. You caught a glimpse of my ugliness—my real ugliness—and sure, you were frightened and dismayed at first, but you're happy to look past it and accept me.
"If you're willing to do that then maybe—maybe —the thought of unveiling my outer self to you some time isn't so far-fetched."
The ponies exchanged glances of warm satisfaction, tinged with excitement, at the seeds of friendship they had sown.
"Well then, I guess the least I can do is stay for one last dance."
Spike scurried up to Elegy and bowed at the waist. "Would you do me the honour of allowing me to accompany you in your dance, m'lady?"
"Oh. Um, sure. I mean, the honour would be mine, good dragon." Elegy gave an ungainly approximation of a curtsey.
"Terrific. Rarity, you're nearest the phonograph. Could you crank her up, please?"
A brittle smile cracked not-at-all-jealous Rarity's muzzle before she telekinetically flipped through the record selection for something suitably unromantic.
Author's Note
Added Twilight Sparkle to list of characters, as she is playing a more prominent role than I had anticipated
"Pinkie, no. That's too much. I'll never eat all of this."
Pinkie Pie lifted her head from the bright red party wagon, bulging with leftover baked confections, that she had wheeled up to Elegy's feet. Her eager grin morphed into a look of cool sobriety. "Elegy, take the advice of Ponyville's premier party planning pony: you never know when you'll need some cake." Breaking back into a smile, Pinkie stotted merrily off to assist her friends with the final stage of the project: cleaning up.
Cleaning up alone was drudgery, even for Pinkie Pie. Clean up with friends, and Pinkie could transform the chore into a mini-party in itself. A continual stream of jokes, friendly chatter, humming and singing kept high the spirits of the volunteers, so that the whole undertaking seemed far less onerous to them than it might otherwise have been.
Rarity used her magic telekinesis to remove the decorations and guide them back to their appropriate storage compartments. Pinkie ferried stacks of used dishes to the kitchen, expertly bearing them on her back, head and outstretched tail. Spike swept the broad ballroom floor, accompanying himself with a medley of humming, whistling, scatting and rhythmic chants of "Sweep, sweep, sweep, sweep" . Occasionally he would happen across a puddle of spilt food or drink, which he cleaned with one lap of his reptilian tongue.
Rarity, of course, loudly expressed her dismay at this unhygienic practice, until Spike reminded her that she was only too happy to nibble on grass that goodness knew how many other ponies had touched with their bare hooves, backs or even buttocks. And he would be mopping up afterwards as well, so the possible presence of dragon spittle on the floor was of little concern.
Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, had their own task to execute: escorting Elegy back to her forest home. As they reached the main doorway of the castle, Twilight magically opened the doors to a sky of deepening purple, with gentle tints of orange and pink on the horizon.
"Sundown?" Elegy gaped. "We've been partying til-til sundown? This is the time I should be getting up, not going to bed. It's, it's crazy."
Rainbow Dash grinned. "We won't tell if you won't."
Twilight summoned her protective, transparent sphere around the foursome and elevated it a few feet above the ground. As the orb glided towards the forest, Elegy continued her amazed summation.
"Just knowing that you went to such lengths to bring a little brightness into my life, I think I'll be doing a lot less crying from now on." She paused thoughtfully for a second. "Uh-oh."
"What's wrong?" her escorts chorused.
"Crying. It's how I signal my presence to the other animals in the forest, so that they don't have to look at me. Now I need to come up with something else to keep them away. I'll feel silly talking to myself."
Fluttershy responded, "Would you consider singing to yourself?"
"Singing!" Elegy's voice resonated with wonderment at the possibilities. After a wet, noisy clearing of her throat she let out a moan, similar her usual miserable ululation but holding a single pitch. She emitted another moan, higher in pitch, then another higher still. Next came seven, in an ascending-descending scale, hitting the notes more or less competently. She turned to her pony companions, her eyes alight with joy. "That sounded just like my normal chantpleuring, but I was only pretending to cry. That could work. And you taught me some great new songs today, too. Oh, what was that one I really loved? It was so beautiful."
Fluttershy began to sing in her sweet, birdlike voice.
"There's music in the tree-tops,
there's music in the vale."
"That is a lovely song," replied Elegy, "but it's not the one I'm thinking of."
"Life in Equestria shimmers," Twilight began resonantly.
"No, that's not it either. Oh wait, now I remember:
"First you wiggle your tail.
Oink oink oink.
Then you wiggle your sn——"
At once the three ponies blurted out a hubbub of overlapping sentence fragments indicating that, yes, they recognised the jaunty polka that Elegy sang. Rainbow Dash was the last to finish talking: "... definitely keep other critters at bay."
As the orb drifted deeper into the forest, farther from the ponies' habitat, Elegy's mood became somewhat pensive. "I wish I could see you ponies again sometime, get to know you better."
"What do you mean, Elegy? We'd love to spend time with you again," replied Fluttershy.
"But how? I can't have you all go to the trouble of throwing a masquerade party whenever I feel like some company. There has to be an easier way."
Twilight's eyes gleamed. "Maybe there is."
* * *
"Um, Twilight, are you sure Rarity won't mind?"
The three ponies were returning to their home town, Twilight carrying their party costumes using her telekinetic force.
"I was careful not to make any promises but Rarity adores making outfits. She's already done the hard part. Now that she has Elegy's measurements, it should be no problem for her to make another concealing costume out of a sturdier material, one that she can wear in the forest. That way, she can come and visit us, or invite us for a visit, as she pleases. Or seek out other forest residents who might be willing to make friends with her."
"Even so, if she comes to Ponyville all shrouded like that, other ponies might stare at her."
Rainbow Dash rubbed her lower jaw with her forehoof. "Yeah, having to cover yourself every time you go out in public seems kinda degrading to me. Like wearing a bag over your head or something."
"It's not exactly unheard of, though," replied Twilight. "I've read that the mares of Tarpanistan never leave their homes without wearing outfits that conceal all but their eyes. They consider it a sign of modesty."
Rainbow snorted with disdain at the idea. "And you all think I need to be more modest. Well I draw the line at that."
Twilight continued, "I hear what you're both saying but we have to deal with the world as it is, not as we'd like it to be. Attitudes about external appearance don't always change overnight. Even Elegy has to work through her feelings in that regard. If she wants to build friendships she needs to do so at her own pace. And we need to support that."
"Yeah, I getcha. Besides, if the other ponies see us hang with Elegy when she comes, they'll know that she's down with the cool ponies, so they'll show her some respect." Rainbow slicked back her mane with her forehoof.
"I guess that's one positive that's come from the squonk's appearance," mused Fluttershy. "It motivated us to extend our friendship to Elegy, even though it was daunting and challenging. That can only serve to make us better at spreading the magic of——"
Rainbow Dash darted in front of her two friends and blocked their passage with her forelegs. "Uh, is it my imagination or did that tree there just jump backwards?"
Fluttershy squeaked in fright.
Twilight sounded somewhat less concerned. "I ... don't think trees move like that even in the Everfree Forest, Rainbow. It's probably just the fading light playing tricks on your eyes."
From the corner of her eye, Twilight herself caught sight of some movement. She yelped in alarm, reflexively releasing her hold on the costumes, and turned towards the thick tree trunk alongside her in time to see another trunk, farther to her right, heaving and shuffling on the forest floor. And bending. Not swaying, as if battered by a strong wind, but bending. At an angle.
"I gotta admit, that's a pretty impressive trick." Rainbow Dash brandished her forehooves in readiness for danger.
Fluttershy backed gingerly away from the sight. "Um, girls, I think we should probably——"
Twilight summoned a surge of magical energy from her horn, generating a beam of light. As she guided the light around her vicinity, she and Rainbow Dash perceived that the four tree trunks beside them were in fact stout, scaly legs, and the dense canopy above them was a vast underbelly. Timidly, Twilight tracked her light beam behind her in time to see a long, long neck coiling and swooping straight towards them.
Twilight and Rainbow launched themselves into the air, seeking high altitude. Vertical flight was taxing, as it meant directly fighting gravity. The physical effort combined with sense of danger took a toll on Twilight—a comparatively weak and inexperienced flier—and prompted her to over-think the many ways in which flight could go awry. Her frantic wingbeats began to lose their efficacy and she found herself dropping towards their pursuer's rising head—a head that was tiny in comparison to the rest of his body but nevertheless big enough to ensconce one of the fliers comfortably between his jaws. The purple pony unleashed a wail of distress.
Assessing the situation with a single downward glance, Rainbow Dash executed a flawless backward somersault to position herself between Twilight and the beast below. The blue pegasus planted her forehooves firmly on Twilight's buttocks (eliciting an even louder and higher-pitched bleat from the alicorn) and pushed upwards. She cocked her hind legs in readiness to deliver a downwards kick to the behemoth's snout, for what good that might do.
Thankfully, such action was not necessary. Rainbow's fearless act of devotion emboldened Twilight, pushing the worries from her mind and restoring strength and smoothness to her flight. The ponies' combined wing power soon propelled them beyond even the behemoth's prodigious reach. The monstrous creature glared at the hovering ponies for a moment, swaying ponderously on his hind legs, then emitted a brusque sough and began lowering himself to all fours.
"Yeah, nice try, walnut-brain," jeered Rainbow Dash. Her smug demeanour faded an instant later as she and Twilight realised that Fluttershy was not with them. Twilight cast her light beam until it revealed the pale pony, sitting on her haunches as if rooted to the forest floor, her eyes and mouth open wide. Fluttershy remained immobile as the behemoth angled his massive body towards hers.
"Fluttershy!" screamed Twilight.
Rainbow Dash shot like a meteorite towards Fluttershy, gathered her fellow pegasus in her forelegs and hauled her up towards the canopy where Twilight waited. Despite her speed and power, time seemed to slow down for Rainbow. She became acutely aware of the gravity pulling against her ascent, Fluttershy's weight, her own full forelegs hampering her balance and steering. Above all, she was able to take in the overwhelming size of the behemoth.
The creature was the length of a whale and stood fifteen feet tall at his shoulders. His serpentine neck undulated from a vast wall of muscle clad in thick, scaly hide, resting on four towering pillars housing muscles that Rainbow Dash could have slept under. His tail lashed the air like a gigantic whip. "I hope I wasn't out of line with that crack about the walnut-brain," she muttered with just a hint of anxiety.
As she registered that Rainbow Dash was carrying her up towards the forest canopy, Fluttershy looked around in puzzlement and noticed the consternation on her friends' faces. "Um, girls, is something wrong?"
"'Is something wrong?'" repeated an aghast Twilight. "That monster was about to attack you!"
"Monster?" Fluttershy threw her legs tightly around Rainbow Dash, fortunately leaving the latter's wings free. "What monster?"
With a muffled grunt, Rainbow wrenched her muzzle free of Fluttershy's terrified embrace and spat out tufts of yellow fur. "Seriously?"
Fluttershy gaped and released her hold on Rainbow Dash as realisation dawned on her. "Wha-the behemoth?" Her forehoof flicked to her mouth as she burst into a bout of tittering that she immediately tried to stem. "I'm sorry girls, I don't mean to make fun, but really. A behemoth attacking ponies? Look at him. He's not even paying any attention to us."
Twilight and Rainbow looked warily downwards. Indeed, the giant seemed to be looking everywhere except at the ponies. His back was turned to them. He had propped his forelegs against the trunk of a stout tree—it was this, not Fluttershy, he had been turning towards earlier—and was using his hind legs and tail for balance. He repeatedly plunged his long neck into the foliage and withdrew it seconds later, his jaws crammed with leaves. After tipping each mouthful back for the long journey down his oesophagus he cast his head around and sniffed the air for signs of the few forest predators big and powerful enough to tackle him. Such as an Ursa Major, a glittering, bear-like brute with fangs the length of elephant tusks, that could nestle one of its own house-sized cubs in the crook of its foreleg. Or a roc, who could claim the behemoth's life with one well-timed strike of its huge talons around his neck, just below his skull.
"Well he was paying pretty close attention to us a minute ago," Twilight retorted in annoyance.
"Oh, that. Well, he was just cranky because we'd gotten a little too close to him. He needs his personal space, just like we do. That's why I was backing away, to give him some more room. I thought that's what you two were doing as well."
"Then why did you look so terrified?" exclaimed Twilight.
"Terrified?" Fluttershy thought for a second. "Oh. Oh, I'm so sorry if I gave you two the wrong impression. That wasn't terror, that was awe. The behemoth is one of the most magnificent animals in existence. It's not every day I get to come so close to a creature so amazingly awesome." She flicked her eyes between her two friends and gave a little smile. "Present company excepted, of course." She and Twilight broke into a round of chuckling.
Rainbow Dash's smug grin turned into a frown of confusion. "Wait, why is that funny?"
"I'll explain later," Twilight reassured.
Fluttershy gave a quick downward glance. "Um, can we go back down please? I don't like being this high."
Twilight was still uncertain. "You're sure that thing won't get cranky again?"
"Hmm, good thinking Twilight." Fluttershy flew a little closer to the browsing giant. "Excuse me."
The behemoth curved his neck around to face her, leaves fluttering down from his mouth.
"I don't mean to interrupt your dinner but is it okay if my friends and I come down now? I promise we won't get too close."
The behemoth paused for a second, then rumbled, shrugged his massive shoulders and resumed his browsing.
Fluttershy turned back to her friends. "He says it's fine as long as you don't shine your light directly onto him." She and Twilight descended to the ground while Rainbow hovered a foot or so over their heads.
The pale pony heaved a sigh. She would gladly have gazed at the behemoth for hours, as long as that didn't make him feel uncomfortable. "We should be heading back now. It's getting late." Fluttershy failed to keep the disappointment from her voice. She took a longing look back at the majestic beast, then started trudging back towards Ponyville. Twilight levitated the ponies' fallen costumes and trotted to catch up to her.
Rainbow Dash began to follow them, paused, then darted to Twilight's side and whispered briefly in her ear. Twilight thought for a moment, then disappeared, rematerialising straight in front of Fluttershy, facing her.
The alicorn's warm smile eased Fluttershy's alarm. "Two more minutes."
* * *
The soothing, exotic chant came to a sudden halt. Frowning with suspicion, Zecora twitched her ears at the sound and sniffed the afternoon air. She crept towards an alcove in the wall near her bed, slung a belt over her back and plucked three woven pouches from a shelf within the alcove to place in the compartments lining her belt.
Zecora's hut was small and simple but comfortable, and provided her with invaluable shelter from the elements. However, it was also a potential trap. Manticores and timberwolves would gladly make a meal of a zebra given the chance; once they learned that this distinctive structure housed fresh meat ...
To ward off such hazards, Zecora had prepared a number of powders. One would set off a series of light flashes and noisy explosions when thrown, frightening to most wild creatures but harmless unless you came too close. If that were insufficient deterrent, the zebra could also conjure up life-like, luminous images of horrifying monsters that even the forest's fiercest predators would be loath to challenge. Should that fail also, Zecora would resort to a powder that she painstakingly obtained from the seed pods of the fire tree. Any animal whose skin contacted this terrible substance would suffer an unbearable burning sensation that would drive the poor creature towards the nearest pool of water or mud bog: bathing would remove the bulk of the powder but residual pain could linger for hours or even days. Zecora hated the idea of using such a measure even to save her own life; thankfully, her flash-bang powder was all she had needed thus far to keep unwanted visitors from discovering her presence.
Armed with her powders, the zebra peered through a curtain to locate the source of the noise, and saw something quite unexpected. A small, shapeless figure shambled hesitantly back and forth in front of the front door of the hut, occasionally turning back towards the depth of the forest.
Not a prowler, thought Zecora. A procrastinator.
Zecora shed her powder belt, opened the door and registered even greater surprise at the sight. The squat figure was clad in an opaque covering of midnight blue trimmed with silver, with matching veil, hiding all but her beady eyes. The garment was of a fabric resistant to tearing and moisture, yet at the same time rather fetching—Rarity was happy to design for practicality rather than fashion but drew the line at mimicking those horrid Tarpanistani shrouds. The creature shrank back and retreated a step at the sight of the zebra but did not flee.
"One rarely sees such stylish dress
In this neck of the wilderness.
Pray tell, what is it
That has prompted your visit?"
"Z-Zecora? Uh, m-my name is Elegy. I live not far from here. And, uh, I've brought some baked treats from, from a party I went to the other nigh-I mean day."
Zecora was so taken aback by the sight of Elegy that she had not even noticed the burgeoning wagon, covered with a bright, chequered cloth, sitting alongside the hooded creature.
Elegy continued, shuffling from foot to foot. "Anyway, I hear that you brew a really delicious tea so I was thinking, if it isn't too much of an imposition, that we could, maybe, share some of my cakes over a pot?"
As the squonk spoke, one or two of her words betrayed an inflection that sounded familiar to Zecora. She looked intently into the Elegy's beady eyes, her own eyes beginning to flicker with a flash of recognition.
Elegy's eyes puckered and she found herself panting heavily. She knows, she thought. The zebra knows who I am, what I am, what I look like. She's going to get that leer of horror again, just like last time. Those ponies vouched for her. Well, I'm never going to trust——
Sending the squonk's discomfort, Zecora drew back—not too suddenly, lest she look like she was recoiling, just enough to stop herself from staring any further—and spoke soothingly.
"Please forgive my prying eyes.
I thought you were someone I recognised. "
Zecora stepped aside from her doorway and gestured towards the interior of her hut.
With a huge sense of relief and gratitude, Elegy crossed the threshold of the hut. She took in her surroundings, looked back to Zecora ... then bleated in consternation and waddled hastily back outside.
Wincing, Zecora sagged against a wall and cursed in her native tongue. "What did I do this time?" she groaned to herself.
More sounds interrupted the zebra's self-reproach. She opened her eyes to see that Elegy had returned and was trundling her wagon behind her.
"Left the cakes outside, didn't I? Heh-heh. Oh, are you okay Zecora? You looked a little upset just then."
THE END
